Author: Sondra Forsyth

Sondra Forsyth is Co-Editor-in-Chief of ThirdAge.com. She is a National Magazine Award winner with scores of major magazine bylines and twelve books to her credit. Her most recent book is “Candida Cleanse: The 21-Day Diet to Beat Yeast and Feel Your Best”. Sondra was Executive Editor at “Ladies’ Home Journal,” Features Editor at “Cosmopolitan,” and Articles Editor at “Bride’s”. A former ballerina, she founded Ballet Ambassadors, an arts-in-education company in New York City, and served as Artistic Director for 16 years.

Consumers Willing to Pay More for “All-Natural” Labeled Foods

A study published in the Journal of Food Science in February 2017 found that expectations of product quality, nutritional content and the amount of money consumers were willing to pay increased when consumers saw a product labeled “all-natural” as compared to the same product without the label. A release from the Institute of Food Technologists… Continue reading Consumers Willing to Pay More for “All-Natural” Labeled Foods

Grow a High Yield Vegetable Garden This Season

Spend less time and money while growing a bounty of flavorful vegetables this growing season. Increase your harvest, even in small garden spaces, with proper planning and easy care, high yielding vegetables. A productive garden starts with a plan, but choosing the best vegetables to grow and where to plant them can be overwhelming. You… Continue reading Grow a High Yield Vegetable Garden This Season

1 in 4 ER Visits for Eye Problems Aren’t Emergencies

Pinkeye isn’t a medical emergency. Neither is a puffy eyelid. But a study done in February 2017 found that nearly one in four people who seek emergency care for eye problems have those mild conditions, and recommends ways to help those patients get the right level of care. The national study, led by University of… Continue reading 1 in 4 ER Visits for Eye Problems Aren’t Emergencies

Therapy Dogs and Their Benefits to Senior Citizens

As the United States population shifts to more people over the age of 65 than ever before, healthcare providers are searching for new methods to help address some of the specific concerns of senior citizens. According to the Pew Research Center, every day for the next 19 years, 10,000 baby boomers will reach age 65. There are… Continue reading Therapy Dogs and Their Benefits to Senior Citizens

More Patients with Early-Stage Breast Cancer May Not Need Chemo

Women with early-stage breast cancer who had an intermediate risk recurrence score (RS) from a 21-gene expression assay had similar outcomes, regardless of whether they received chemotherapy, according to a February 2017 study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer. A release from the center notes that the encouraging research, published in the journal… Continue reading More Patients with Early-Stage Breast Cancer May Not Need Chemo

Don’t Let Hand Rashes Ruin Your Winter

Hand rashes can be frustrating, especially when the cause of your rash is unknown. Was it a new brand of hand soap? Eczema? Or just really dry skin? According to dermatologists from the American Academy of Dermatology, it could be any of these things and more. Hand rashes, they say, commonly occur because of something… Continue reading Don’t Let Hand Rashes Ruin Your Winter

What to Expect and How to Prepare for Your MRI Scan

So, your doctor ordered an MRI scan. You may be wondering, how do MRI scans work? Is an MRI machine safe? An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) uses a large magnet and radio waves to look at organs and structures in your body. It is a painless process in which you lie on a table that… Continue reading What to Expect and How to Prepare for Your MRI Scan

Prebiotics May Help Us Cope with Stress

Probiotics are well known to benefit digestive health, but prebiotics are less well understood. . Prebiotics are certain types of non-digestible fibers that probiotic bacteria feed on, such as the fibers found in many plant sources like asparagus, oatmeal, and legumes. Certain bacteria also feed on non-fibers such as the protein lactoferrin, which also acts… Continue reading Prebiotics May Help Us Cope with Stress

Children and Teens at Risk from Medicine Intended for Pets

Almost two thirds of households in the US own a pet and many of these households have children and teens that either live in or visit the home. As pet owners know, it is common for pets to need medications either to treat health conditions or to prevent things like fleas, ticks, and heartworm. Many… Continue reading Children and Teens at Risk from Medicine Intended for Pets

What Every Cancer Patient Should Know about Hair Loss

Hair loss is often cited as the side effect patients fear most after being diagnosed with cancer and prescribed a course of lifesaving chemotherapy. While this type of hair loss is unavoidable, there are a number of ways that patients can prepare themselves for the physical and emotional changes that can accompany hair loss. Here’s… Continue reading What Every Cancer Patient Should Know about Hair Loss

Caring for Elders: Tips for Managing Pain

Older adults are more likely to experience pain than the general population but they may be less likely to be treated for it. The most common reason that pain in elders is under treated is that it is under reported. Many elders consider pain a natural consequence of aging – something they just have to… Continue reading Caring for Elders: Tips for Managing Pain

Older Adults Embracing “Living Apart Together”

A release from the University of Missouri in Columbia notes that since 1990, the divorce rate among adults 50 years and older has doubled. This trend, along with longer life expectancy, has resulted in many adults forming new partnerships later in life. A new phenomenon called “Living Apart Together’” (LAT)—an intimate relationship without a shared… Continue reading Older Adults Embracing “Living Apart Together”

Regular Exercise Lowers Chances of Mobility Problems

According to a release from the Health in Aging Foundation, nearly one in four adults aged 65 and older has trouble walking or climbing stairs–and 3.4 million older adults have trouble taking care of their personal needs, such as dressing or bathing. As we age, these difficulties can impact our well-being and our ability to… Continue reading Regular Exercise Lowers Chances of Mobility Problems

Is It Past Time to Reprogram the Software In Your Brain?

We all fall into habits and routines – it’s the nature of being human. But even when you realize your daily behaviors are inhibiting you from achieving your goals, that doesn’t mean you can just vow to change one day and all will be well. Every single behavior that you demonstrate – good, bad or… Continue reading Is It Past Time to Reprogram the Software In Your Brain?

Showing Your Love Can Ease Your Partner’s Depression

The more depressed your romantic partner may be, the more love you should give that person. That is the finding of research done at the University of Alberta in Canada and published in February 2017 in Developmental Psychology. A release from the university acknowledges that It can be tempting to pull back, but tough as… Continue reading Showing Your Love Can Ease Your Partner’s Depression

Tips for Re-Thinking Eating for Better Heart Health

February is a Heart Health Month, making it the perfect time to find ways to re-think what we eat in order to help lead us to better heart health. It’s an issue that most of us need to pay attention to, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that heart disease is… Continue reading Tips for Re-Thinking Eating for Better Heart Health